by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

SAN ANTONIO â?? Whenever the discussion of San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and his legendary interview style comes up, the beauty of his often-intimidating ways almost always gets lost.

It's not that his mainstream persona is entirely inaccurate. He is, after all, frequently edgy, always pithy, and never willing to conform in ways that the media and even the NBA would likely prefer. But as he showed yet again on Friday night at the AT&T Center, he is also an extremely intelligent and thoughtful man whose worldly perspective is refreshing in this professional sports world that can often be so insular.

With Veteran's Day coming up, Popovich â?? an Air Force Academy graduate and former basketball player who returned as an assistant coach there early in his career â?? took full advantage of a reporter's question about the forthcoming holiday. And with the federal food stamp program having recently been cut in ways that made life a little tougher on approximately 5,000 troops, Popovich highlighted the sad irony that came with this less-than-ideal context.

"In a lot of ways, it's a joyous day if we all remember to honor people," Popovich began. "But in some ways, it's a sad day because (soldiers and veterans) don't really get honored the way they should be. Some of it is just pablum. When it comes down to the nuts and bolts of what they need, they're really not getting everything.

"Just like the way it is right now â?? how many vets might have to do without food stamps because of what's going on with the government right now? That program is huge to a lot of these families. I mean huge. It gets them through. And it may or may not be there â?? who knows? â?? because government is not very functional at this point, as we all know. So it's a day to reflect, to honor but also to not lose sight of the fact that a whole lot more has to be done with what they've done for all of us."

By way of the NBA Cares program, the league advises teams to host a military-focused event in their community or arena as a way to acknowledge Veterans Day.

Their "Hoops for Troops" program is a year-round endeavor in which they collaborate with the Department of Defense, United Service Organizations and various other organizations to honor active or retired service men and women. From Nov. 7 to Nov. 11, players have been wearing apparel â?? from shirts to headbands, wristbands, and socks â?? commemorating the holiday. For Popovich's part, he makes a point to offer his unique perspective with his players.

"You know, whenever we get the opportunity, we just bring it to the attention of our group so that they understand that their job is not real tough by comparison, that there are a lot of priorities in the world that we all have to think about, that there is a big world out there," Popovich said. "Making them aware is our biggest goal this time of year."